The present invention relates to protectors with sensors and methods of molding end parts of the protectors with the sensors. When objects including fingers are disposed between openings of automobiles and opening/closing panels which move between at least two positions to open and close the openings of automobiles, the sensors of the protectors output corresponding signals for detecting the objects. The opening/closing panels include: doors such as sliding doors on wagons, station wagons or the like sliding frontward and rearward of the automobile bodies and back doors; and sun roofs.
A protector 10, 20 with a sensor is installed on an automobile including a wagon shown in FIG. 8 of which a sliding door 1 (or a back door) moves between at least two positions to open and close an opening of an automobile body or on an automobile shown in FIG. 9 of which sun roof 2 opens or closes the opening of the automobile body.
For example, the protector 10 with the sensor, extending in an upper and lower direction as shown in FIG. 10, is installed on a front end surface of the sliding door 1. The protector 10 with the sensor extends frontward of the automobile body from the front end surface of the sliding door 1.
As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the protector 10 with the sensor, installed on the front end surface of the sliding door 1 includes: an installation base member 11 having a substantially U-shaped cross section including an inner-cabin side wall 11a, an outer-cabin side wall 11b and a connecting wall 11c; and a hollow part 12 integrally molded with the installation base member 11. The hollow part 12 includes a sensor (pressure sensitive sensor) 80 which outputs a corresponding electric signal upon detecting the object such as a part of human bodies (fingers, hands or legs) between the sliding door 1 and a body side opening (may also be front door or side door) (see, for example, Japanese examined Patent Publications No. 3700267, No. 3844684 and Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-022038).
In a lower part of the protector 10 with the sensor, a channel part 13 having a substantially C-shaped cross section is integrally molded with the inner-cabin side wall 11a side of the installation base member 11 for holding wire harness 90 joined with the pressure sensitive sensor 80. The installation base member 11 has a plurality of holding lips 14 formed inside and a core 15 having a substantially U-shaped cross section embedded therein for increasing rigidity. In addition, a decorative lip 16 is provided on the outer-cabin side wall 11b of the installation base member 11.
The sensor (pressure sensitive sensor) 80 has two core wires (electrode wires) 31, 32 extending in an upper and lower direction (longitudinal direction) embedded in rubber like elastic bodies 34, 35 having conductivity with a space 33 therebetween, which are fixed in the hollow part 12. As the object is disposed between the sliding door 1 and the body side opening when the sliding door 1 is moved towards a closed position, the object makes contact with a part of the hollow part 12, and then the rubber like elastic bodies 34, 35 contact with each other and the two core wires 31, 32 short. Resultant change in electric signal is transmitted to a control unit 40 joined with leads 36, 36 which are connected with the two core wires 31, 32 in a lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, and as a result, the objects are detected. The leads 36, 36 covered with insulator are tied by the wire harness 90. Top ends of the leads 36, 36, bared from covered parts 37, 37 are naked wires.
As shown in FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c), in the lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, the leads 36 are piled on the two core wires 31, 32 drawn out in a longitudinal direction (left direction in FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) relative to a sheet), the leads 36 and the two core wires 31, 32 are connected by means of resistance welding or soft soldering (FIG. 13(b)) and an insert 25 fills up the space 33 which is exposed in an end part (FIG. 13(c)). Then, as shown in FIG. 14, wire connection parts 70, 70, the insert 25 and a part of the wire harness 90 are embedded in a die molded part by means of die molding and are not exposed.
Also, as shown in FIG. 15, in an upper side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor, legs 39a, 39a of a resistor 39 are piled on the two core wires 31, 32 drawn out in the longitudinal direction (right direction in FIG. 15 relative to the sheet), the legs and the two core wires 31, 32 are connected by means of resistance welding or soft soldering and an insert 26 fills up the space 33. Then, the wire connection parts 70, the insert 26 and the resistor 39 are embedded in a die molded part by means of the die molding and are not exposed.
In FIGS. 14 and 15, dotted lines show the die molded parts.
When water enters the wire connection parts 70, 70, connected circuits may short, which causes improper operations. The wire connection parts 70, 70 are between the two core wires 31, 32 and the leads 36, 36 of the lower side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor or between the two core wires 31, 32 and the legs 39a, 39a of the resistor 39 of the upper side terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor. The wire connection parts 70, 70 are connected by means of resistance welding or soft soldering.
In this connection, the wire connection parts 70, 70 can be firmly fixed by sealing agent (adhesive) of epoxy resin disclosed in Japanese examined Patent Publication No. 3700267. But the structure necessitates an extra process of adhesion and minutes or hours of time for curing the sealing agent. In addition, an increase in amount of adhesive to be used has caused insufficient adhesion. Further, use of adhesive tends to cause unevenness, which makes it difficult to stably fix the wire connection parts 70, 70.
In addition, the epoxy resin is high in hardness. Accordingly, when the epoxy resin is subjected to stress, the epoxy resin may exfoliate from the terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor which is extrusion molded, thereby causing water leak. As a result, it becomes necessary to substitute softer resin for the epoxy resin, thereby unstably fixing the wire connection parts 70, 70.
Especially, in case the wire connection parts 70, 70 are not stably fixed, external shapes of resultant products become uneven while die molding the external shapes.
Alternatively, the wire connection parts 70, 70 can be doubly coated by means of hot melt molding disclosed in Japanese examined Patent Publication No. 3844684. But the structure necessitates extra members including supporting members for connecting hard-wirings, has a problem concerning heat-resistance and is degraded in mold releasability from the dies.
In this connection, the wire connection parts 70, 70 between the core wires 31, 32 and the leads 36, 36 and a side of another end of the insert 25, or the wire connection parts 70, 70 between the core wires 31, 32 and the legs 39a, 39a of the resistor 39 and the side of another end of the insert 26 can be positioned on a die, and covered by means of injection molding. But the structure requires that close adherence be improved between a part which is formed by means of the injection molding and the terminal part of the protector 10 with the sensor which is formed by means of extrusion molding.
Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-022038 discloses to mold resin material into a hollow terminal part for coating the wire connection parts. But the structure does not include the insert inserted into the terminal part for separating the two wire connection parts from each other. Accordingly, the structure necessitates an extra part made of the resin material for preventing the two wire connection parts from coming into contact with each other by partitioning the two wire connection parts.
The structure of Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-022038 does not include the insert inserted into the terminal part. Accordingly, at a later stage of die molding, an extra lid or a weir needs to be molded for preventing decline in sensor function caused by die molding material flowing into a sensor side.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide the protectors with sensors and the methods of molding the end parts of the protectors with the sensors, which are capable of decreasing unevenness in the shapes of the products while die molding the terminal parts, excellent in operability and capable of attaining sufficient sealing function.